No Evidence Gun Law Made State Safer

The editorial "Protect the Gun Law" [Feb. 3] is riddled with flawed thinking. Seeking evidence for the unsupported claim that the 2013 gun control legislation made the state safer, the editorialattempts to draw a connection to declining crime rates.

It is fortunately true that violent crime has steadily decreased nationwide over recent decades. However, there is no evidence that any decline in Connecticut since the law's enactment is at all attributable to the law. Numerous studies demonstrate that bans on so-called assault weapons fail miserably to change the behavior of criminals, who by definition, deliberately break the law.

We are all grateful for the long-term decline in crime. But the truth is the legislation has only served to punish citizens for legally purchasing firearms. Hunters and target shooters also have been punished by losing the option to purchase firearms that are popular for hunting and the shooting sports.

The authors fail to note that the law has caused jobs to leave the state and continues to hurt economic growth as companies such as Mossberg decide to expand in other states expressly because of this law.

Rather than calling on legislators to protect an ineffective law, we urge the authors to critically examine the data and refuse to demonize the state's gun owners and the firearms industry.

Lawrence G. Keane, Newtown

The writer is senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation.